Joshua: Born with a rare birth defect, doctors are amazed that he needs no medication and has no signs of reflux

Our son Joshua was born with tracheo-oesophageal fistula with oesophageal atresia, a major birth defect that wasn’t able to be detected during the pregnancy. At 5 hours of birth he was diagnosed as being a “TOF baby.” This basically meant that his oesophagus (food pipe) was in two parts that didn’t connect to each other, and also his trachea (wind pipe) connected to the oesophagus.

Joshua had life saving surgery and was in intensive care for the first month of his life.

Following discharge, we were told of the risks of reflux and the potential dangers to his oesophagus. He was heavily medicated for reflux and we were told that this would be “for life” medication, or else he would risk damaging his oesophagus, potentially resulting in oesophageal cancer.

Even though modern medicine saved his life, and we were well-supported by the team at Sydney Children’s Hospital, we wanted to seek a more natural based way to treat Joshua’s symptoms. In particular, we wanted to try and avoid any ongoing medication because we were concerned about the short and long term side effects of these medications.

Also, we wanted to ensure he was as strong and healthy as possible, so that we could avoid him suffering the respiratory infections and illnesses that TOF kids are prone to, which would require even more medications.

Robyn helped us with dietary advice and also supplements to reduce gastroesophageal reflux and inflammation in Joshua’s surgically-repaired oesophagus. She was always honest about the potential benefits and risks of each intervention, and she went above and beyond in terms of dietary and supplement advice, even giving tips on where to buy at the lowest price. Her advice was always practical and provided without any judgement, and with respect for our own personal beliefs.

Joshua attends the TOF Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital on a yearly basis. The TOF team are always very impressed with his progress. Joshua doesn’t suffer from many of the normal symptoms associated with TOF children and we feel that a major part of this is due to the advice provided by Robyn regarding diet and supplements. We were advised that it is “unheard” in these TOF children to not show signs of reflux.

We would (and have!) recommended Robyn not only for people with this issue (as this is a very rare issue), but for all issues. All 4 of our little family have used Robyn for various ailments and issues and in times of need, either physical, emotional or mental. We know we can always turn to Robyn to put us back on the right track!

As a family, we highly recommend Robyn. Apart from her amazing knowledge on all facets of life and treatments, she is real and looks and relates to issues that are affecting you. You never feel like you are being judged, she is compassionate and she cares.

Joe and Kim, Joshua's parents Sydney